---
sourceDocument: Xanadu Customer Service Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/xanadu/customer-service-management

 Release :

    - xanadu

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Xanadu Customer Service Management

ft:clusterId :

    - csm

bundleId :

    - csm

workflow :

    - Customer and Industry


---

# Mandatory skills

# Mandatory skills {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Xanadu
* 
* Updated August 1, 2024
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read

Use the mandatory skills feature to identify any skills that are required for agents and
technicians to work on customer service cases and field service work orders and tasks. Then assign
cases and tasks to agents and technicians who have those required skills.  
When assigning cases, work orders, and work order tasks, the assignment tools consider the mandatory skills, filter out agents and technicians who do not have these skills, and then rank the remaining agents.

* If agents with the mandatory skills are available, the cases and tasks are assigned to these agents.
* If agents with the mandatory skills are not available, then agents with any other, non-mandatory skills identified in the cases and tasks are ranked and assigned.
{#mandatory-skills__ul_fl3_2d1_g2b}

Field service dispatchers (wm_dispatcher), field service technicians (wm_agent), customer
service managers (sn_customerservice_manager), and customer service agents
(sn_customerservice_agent) can specify both skills and mandatory skills for cases and tasks.

Mandatory skills is an optional feature. Mandatory skills can be identified on the assignment
workbench. In addition to the Skills list, the assignment workbench
includes a Mandatory Skills Added list. Agents are ranked in the workbench
based on the number of skills that match the skills identified in the Skills list. If the
mandatory skills feature is being used, then the agents displayed are filtered by the skills
listed in the Mandatory Skills Added list and then ranked by the other matching criteria.
**Related concepts**   

* [Use the assignment workbench](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/OsFElWo2MrXyehJw_fp24w "The assignment workbench enables customer service managers to assign tasks to agents efficiently and intelligently. The workbench uses configurable criteria, such as skills and availability, to evaluate the agents in a selected group and provide an overall ranking. Managers can view these results and click one button to assign a task.")